Greenville Avenue Wine

Tuesday, May 3, 2016

One of my first jobs, fifty years ago or so, I worked as a package boy in the local Grocery Store. While I went through an application process, but the real reason I got my job was because my mother was on a first name basis with the store manager (of course.) She could be a demanding lady.

I quickly learned to throw a mean sack of groceries and which customers would tip a quarter for carrying them out to the car. But the truth was that we were expected to carry out anyone's groceries if it was anything but a small sack. THAT was the standard of service.

Flash forward thirty five years and I took my first job in my new career as Wine Consultant for the old family run chain of Red Coleman stores. I quickly found out that the job was not so glamorous as it sounded. Mr. Coleman used to sit outside the store in his car waiting for a customer, preferably a lady, to push a basket to her car. Then he would come inside and woe be unto the staff on duty behind the registers. THAT was the standard of service.

Today is a beautiful day, clear and crisp and not hot, more like Dallas January than May. As I helped a lady to her car and loaded her purchases, I thought of that first job.

Back then I had no idea that fifty years later I would still be carrying out packages. But, that's STILL the standard of service.

Thursday, April 21, 2016

Monday was the first day of Strangeways Barrel Week. The board of 41 barrel aged beers was posted early so flight planning could commence. I'm told there were lines when the large black door was cracked open. There was still a line to order when I arrived a hour or so later. I made my order and carried my flight through the dark interior to the streetside patio. It was a cool but muggy afternoon with grey clouds hanging in the sky. It was a quiet scene. Everyone was sitting at the picnic tables, hunched over their trays of small glasses, examining. The only conversations were muted discussions of flavor profiles.

I had been tasting wine since noon, so I chose beers with winey, yeast-driven flavors. Except for the finale. Oh, and the first, but it was aged in wine barrels. What follows is my list, with some notes taken in real time. The numbers are from the list as posted on the chalkboard.

#3 Prairie Wine Noir: Imperial Stout aged in Wine barrels. 11%: "The wet barrels created some funk, possibly from some additional fermentation," I was told. "Some folks have said that it was too tannic." Sounded good to me! And it was. Rich and dark and with slight carbonation, just enough to give lift. Scorched earth, charcoal, black cassis, espresso, the bright citrus notes of a good Ethiopian coffee. If a wine was this dark, it would be over the top, but the carbonation sustains life. Is there such a thing as a black pomegranate?

Gose is an ancient, sour and saline ale from the area around Leipzig. Production has been spotty since the second World War as several of the main breweries were destroyed by Allied bombing and not restored. Due to shortages in the post war years, there was little wheat available for brewers and production of Gose ceased on more than one occasion. Gose has flourished since Reunification both in Leipzig and with Craft brewers worldwide. Gose is brewed with half malted wheat and half malted barley and fermented with both yeast and lactic acid and spiced with both coriander and hops. It is generally brewed with slightly salted water.

The Bayerischer Bahnhof in Leipzig was an early example of the ornate rail palaces built in the early 1800s and was a major hub. After severe damage during the War, the building was neglected until Reunification. The building was restored in 2000 with its Gasthaus & Gosebrauerei featuring Gose, the regional specialty. Their Gose is a rare find in the United States, Strangeways has three expressions, aged in Aquavit, Rum and Tequila barrels respectively.

#15 Gasthaus & Gosebrauerie Goseator aged in Aquavit Barrel 9%: Whenever I taste a gose or a sour I always wonder, "What would I think if I was served a wine that tastes like this?" The flavors are out there, but I find them delicious. Savory, dry and salty with a refreshing acidity and a massive infusion of funk; dried sour fruits, baked lemon, dried herbs with a toasty finish and a long salty finish. I want fish and chips NOW! It's difficult to separate the Aquavit from the Gose itself, the integration is seamless.

#16) Gasthaus & Gosebrauerie Goseator aged in Rum Barrel 9%: Here the barrel is much more evident than the aquavit with warm notes of sweet vanilla and spice. Was it a spiced rum? This Gose would be great paired against a mincemeat pie! Who would win?

#17) Gasthaus & Gosebrauerie Goseator aged in Tequila Barrel 10.5%: Ok, now I've got this baked lemon, savory salty thing down and I'm looking for the differentiation between the Goseator and the barrel. Is there a calculus for this? As with the Aquavit, I think the herbal nature of the agave merges seamlessly with the sourness of the Gose. I sense a harmony here rather than a progression of flavors which ultimately resolve into the same mouthwatering finish.

I finished with an old friend. It seems like forever since we first heard of the crazy dudes from Aberdeen who were aging their stout in Islay whisky barrels. BrewDog Paradox was the Holy Grail. I remember Michael sitting for what seemed like hours, a glass of BrewDog Smokehead in one hand, a glass of Laphroiag in the other. Finally he spoke, "It's the peat! It's the peat!"

#11) BrewDog Paradox, Imperial Stout aged in Smokehead Islay Whisky Barrels 10%: Dark, coffee, espresso, unsweetened chocolate, scorched earth and crazily some fruitiness comes from somewhere, but all things ultimately resolve into massive smokiness. Is it the blackened malt or the smoked peat? Nothing to do but wait it out. And then... there it is! The unmistakable nuttiness of the smoked kernels of malted barley. Nice!

So that's my Monday flight. There's only 36 more beers left on the board! And they are going quick!

Tuesday, April 19, 2016

Wow. I just looked it up. the last post in this series was in February, 2013. Over three years. Time passes quickly when you get old.

Not that the group hasn't gotten together. We have. Several of us have joined for dinners and lunches. When I've been able to attend, I just didn't take notes and blog. We do stay in almost constant touch with a running text thread. But Saturday night was a big deal. #4 and his wife outdid themselves and had us all over for dinner Saturday night. Big dining room table with white table cloth and a jillion wine glasses. Their children served and cleared the table. High cotton for sure.

And the wines were all amazing. I didn't take notes I can't remember all the wines. Here are some highlights.

Sepi's five year old Sigalas Assyrtiko was spectacular. Big petrol nose, penetrating stone fruits, mouth watering salinity. What? Everything screamed Riesling except it didn't taste like Riesling. Of course not. The wine was from Santorini and wants to be drunk with grilled octopus!

That was followed by a fruit driven Gavi di Gavi from Michele Chiarlo. Of course we were stumped again. We were tasting double blind!

Then a flight of old reds. Definitely more familiar territory. 1989 Lynch Bages. Boom! Nailed. (The wine was perfect, there was no evidence of aging, even on the edge of the rim.) 1986 Diamond CreekGravelly Meadows. The call was old Medoc, but the wine showed some age, the color showed some bricking, but the wine was 100% pure essence of Cabernet. But the shocker was the 1990 Arrowood Sonoma County Cabernet. Showing some oak and faded fruit but hanging in there strong! Not a reserve, not a single vineyard, but well made ordinary wine made by a master. Bravo.

And then the battle was on. We were Pickett's Charge headed up the hill against massive armaments: Clos d Vougeot, Contrada Nero Mascalese, Mica, Lussac, Axios, Amon Ra. Casualties were high, but we kept on charging. And then, and then, and then we reached the summit.

So, I went up to D'Lynn to say hi and told him I had been talking about him Saturday night.

"Really," he said.

"Yep. I was at a blind tasting Saturday night with some friends. Took an 89 Lynch Bages and it was perfect. BUT I was trumped. So my question to you is how do you trump a perfect 89 Lynch Bages?"

He just looked at me, cocked his head and raised an eyebrow.

I said, "With a 1998 Grange."

And he just grinned and shook his head.

"How do you trump a 1998 Grange?" he asked.

I shook my head.

"With another 1998 Grange."

Yep, #4, Mr. Massetto his own self blinded us Saturday night with a 1998 Penfolds Grange. And you can't get much better than that. THANKS John, for a fabulous evening.

Of course, not that we were done, Scott brought a Chateau d'Arlay Vin Jaun from Cotes de Jura. Its bone dry funk was the PERFECT foil for the Amaretto glazed pound cake. And then a Chateau Guiraud Sauternes and then the 100 point Alvear Pedro Ximenez of which there is no more. (Bradley cornered the market.)

Tuesday, December 1, 2015

At the end of a cold, rainy Thanksgiving weekend, I decided to make a beef stew. Shopping was done and I was on my way home before I started thinking about wine. Halfway home, I realized that while there I had a lot of bottles to drink, I didn't have one that I wanted to commit to the stew pot. But, I thought, surely there's something a few years too old that you've forgotten about. I didn't want to drive back to the store. Not again, not on my day off. So I headed on home.

And sure enough, there at the bottom of the wine cabinet was a bottle of Steele Zinfandel that had been there who knows how long. Perfect! I grabbed the bottle, pulled the cork, and started pouring.

I still can't remember where that bottle came from. I started working at Sigel's in 2001, that would have been an old bottle to still be in inventory at that time.

But, that's what it was.

I've never had a Zinfandel that old. It helps that I know the wine well, I get to taste every vintage as the wine passes through the store. Jed Steele now owns the vineyard, it was planted in 1901. With the 2001 vintage Jed gave the wine its own label with a black catfish jumping through the Steele logo along with "century vine" designation. Neither was on this bottle.

As to the wine? It was very much alive, with a dark ruby core showing the slightest hint of brickiness on the edge with aromas of fresh and dried fruit and flowers. The classic Catfish zinfandel is redolent of velvety red plums with classic brambly Zinfandel finish and this old Catfish holds true to form, except that the plums are dried. Yes, I know dried plums are prunes, but the wine tastes like delicate dried plums without the concentrated sugars that you find in prunes or raisins. Elegant and gorgeous, light yet full. At 13%, it's a wine for those in pursuit of balance.

So, a happy accident. As I write, the wine's been opened for five hours and it's still pleasant. Susan's gone to bed. Too bad there's no one else to share it with.

Tuesday, November 3, 2015

This post is a continuation of the previous post which discussed the white wines. We finished the morning with red wines. The first, a Napa Carneros Pinot Noir was pretty straightforward with the lighter character and dusty cherries that are typical of the AVA.

The second wine caused the most confusion. It was a classic blind tasting dilemma - how to differentiate between Sangiovese and Tempranillo. Red and black cherries defined the core fruit of the wine with mouth coating tannins that were intense but not overwhelming. Acid on both wines was medium-plus, there was evidence of moderate barrel use, but not the signature coconut and pungency of American Oak one would expect to find in Rioja or the leathery finish of Sangiovese. The favorite call of the group with Chianti, maybe with a small blending dollop of Merlot. It turned out to be a Gran Reserva Rioja, but with a curveball. Cune uses both French and American oak. Exceptions will get you every time. These two varieties are so similar. When the wine is opened and the label is known, the flavors seem so correct. And so baffling when tasting blind.

We then tasted a 2007 Napa Merlot that was falling apart and disjointed. The alcohol was high as was the acidity which was surprising and out of balance. Our 'coach' suggested a problem with acidification. A red wine from Napa with that much alcohol would not have such a high level of acid, especially in 2007 which was a warm, generous vintage.

The last wine was a 2012 Napa Cabernet.There was the thought that the wine was a Malbec due to the rich, velvety quality of the fruit. My thought was that it was Cabernet due to the pyrazine character of the red fruit. A year or so ago I attended a portfolio tasting with Clear Creek distillery of Oregon. Tasting their Cassis was a true "Ah-Hah" moment as memories of aromas of years of tasting Napa Cabernets flashed through my senses. A redolent blend of intense red fruits with a pronounced herbal edge that cut through the flavors like a deep cut on a crystal goblet. And there it was, peaking out from the canopy of black fruit.

When blind tasting, the immediate temptation is to make an immediate identification based on matching the flavor in the glass with a flavor in our memory. Like making matches in a memory game like Concentration. As we work on these blind tasting skills, we are constantly being told not to make these immediate identifications. Rather, we taste and analyze. And then let the results speak and identify themselves. But memories keep popping out and making themselves heard.

Saturday, October 24, 2015

After a couple of weeks off we're almost all back together. Two members have just taken new positions with new projects that will be opening quickly in the next couple of weeks. Exciting time for them, but now is not the time for them to be studying! So, it was a smallish group today. Ben, our tasting coach was able to join us and brought a pair of classic white wines for us to blind.

The first wine presented a powerful nose with plenty of viscosity and a deep gold color. Aromas and flavors were driven by peach skins and stone fruits. The wine was dry, the big round ripe flavors were offset by both the high acidity and high alcohol (always an unusual combination.) The initial call was Alsatian Riesling which made sense except for the fact that there was none of the petrol character which is such a signature of wines made from this grape. I thought it might be a Santa Rita Hills Chardonnay, either Melville or Brewer Clifton. Alsatian Pinot Gris was also suggested but the wine seemed too powerful to my thinking. BUT that's what it was. Rotenberg Pinot Gris from Zind Humbrecht. Which explains the power, the intensity and everything else. The Rotenberg vineyard is high on the slopes, near the forests and produces small, intensely flavored berries. The wine is aged on the lees for 18 months in 40 year old barrels. Not your typical Italian Pinot Grigio! Now I feel better about my call.

The second white wine was a Sauvignon Blanc. Period. End of story. Classic notes of grapefruit zest, lime zest with just a proper kiss of funk and screaming pyrazines. The question was one of origin. The high acidity and steely funk pointed to Sancerre. New Zealand sauvignon typically has more tropical fruit which obscures the mineral flavors and a California wine would typically show more melon and grassy characteristics. And Sancerre it was.

Yes, yes, yes. I know that there is a lot of talk that there is no chemical basis for ascribing different soil, rock and mineral attributes to wine. BUT those are scientific meanings of the word. Flavor descriptors are the language of wine. There are no more raspberries, blackberries or shoe leather in wine than limestone or chalk. Yet there are flavor components which we describe with those terms. Different words have different meanings in different contexts. Is there a better word to describe the flavors we ascribe to minerals and soil types? I remember tasting Fritz Haag's Brauneberg Riesling and touching pieces of red slate from the vineyard. The nuances of the 'mineral' flavor were very different from the Urziger Wurzgarten Riesling from Robert Eymael who had brought pieces of blue and grey slate from that vineyard. Say what you say, mean what you mean. If meaning is conveyed, GREAT SUCCESS!

Monday, October 19, 2015

Bruce Neyers was in town for a series of tastings a couple of weeks ago. Bruce has been in the business a while now and his work history is unique in that he has been deeply involved with wines from both Napa and France. In Napa, first with a long career with Joseph Phelps and then his own Neyers Vineyards. In France, with Kermit Lynch, the legendary Berkeley importer of some of the finest French and other European producers. I've been tasting once or three times a year with Bruce for some fifteen years now and more than ever he emphasizes the influence the great French winemakers he visits several times a year has on his California wines.

On his most recent visit we paired Bruce's wines with wines from the Kermit Lynch portfolio. There were several standouts. What they all had in common was the old age of the source vineyards and the heirloom purity of the vines themselves.

For his California wines, Bruce pays particular attention to the source of the vines. He demands that the budwood be taken from existing vines, selected for the quality of the fruit and the provenance of the vines themselves. He insists on vegetative reproduction rather than clonal to retain as much of the original genetic material as possible. Vines are then tended with biodynamic farming and wines are made naturally with indigenous yeasts and minimal intervention.

The Carignan was sensational. Most tasters did not know that Carignan is a grape. Over and over I had to explain that it came from the South of France, both in the Rhone Valley as well as Rousillon in the foothills of the Pyrenees as well as northern Spain. The wine spoke for itself with its silky, velvety almost Burgundian flavors and textures, but there was an exotic wildness that came from the 140 year old vines themselves. Yes, that is correct 140 years and on the original roots. The vines are in the 'ancient' Evangelho Vineyard in the hot sandy soils of Contra Costa County.

The Neyers Grenache comes the old Rossi Ranch in Sonoma's Dry Creek Valley. The story is the same: 70 cases were made from the ancient vines, resulting in a silky wine with penetrating red fruit characteristics. The Mourvedre is another tiny production from the Evangelho Vineyard.
All of these wines are treasures, heirlooms that have survived storms and drought, Prohibition and years of neglect, not to mention the pressures of expanding cities and real estate developers.

The other star came from France. Cotes du Rhone "La Sagesse" from Domaine Gramenon. When I started with Sigel's, Gramenon's wines were imported by Robert Kacher and I was blown away by their quality, but they soon left Kacher and I lost touch. Now they are being imported by Kermit Lynch and Sigel's now brings these treasures into the Dallas market.

La Sagesse is mainly Grenache from 50 year old vines which yield only 20 hectoliters per hectare, which is exceeding low. (The lowest required yield for any AOP vineyard is Chateauneuf du Pape at 35 hl/ha.) Again, this intense wine drinks like a rich, velvety Burgundy, but instead of the aromatic splendor of Pinot Noir, there is this deep, winey dark fruit inflected with the flavors of the Rhone Valley - lavender, thyme, and rosemary.